Apple silicon MacBook Air SSD 2x faster than predecessor

MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

What you need to know

  • A user has run benchmarks of Apple's new MacBook Air featuring the M1 chip.
  • The results seem to reveal that the device's SSD could be up to 2x faster than the old model.

A new report says Apple's M1 MacBook Air (Late 2020) may have an SSD 2x faster than the previous model.

From MacRumors:

As customers are receiving their new Apple Silicon Macs, we're starting to see more benchmarks and testing being posted in our Apple Silicon forum. One forum user (abbotsford1980) shared SSD Benchmarks for their new M1 MacBook Air with 256GB storageThe benchmarks confirm that the new ‌MacBook Air‌ SSD is approximately twice as fast as the previous model with 2190 MB/s writes and 2675 MB/s reads.

As the report notes, Apple seemingly confirmed at the 'One More Thing' event that Apple's brand new MacBook Air would feature 2x faster SSD performance, making for a big boost when it comes to handling files. These early initial tests seem to indicate that Apple's performance claims were bang on the money.

The news follows new benchmark scores from early customers, which seem to reveal that Apple's M1 MacBook Pro 13-inch appears to outperform some configurations of Apple's Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro. Last week, it was reported that Apple's MacBook Air with M1 chip was performing better than the same 16-inch MacBook Pro with Intel.

Whilst more testing will even out scores and paint a clearer picture, these earliest reports seem to reveal that Apple's M1 silicon chip, as promised, is absolutely blazing fast, and heralds a new era of Apple silicon-based Macs that could change Mac computing as we know it for good.

The new M1-based MacBook Pro, Air, and Mac Mini are now available in-store and online.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9